Department of Health

Developing the NHS Leadership Competency Framework

The Department of Health commissioned EW Group to consult on the creation of an NHS Leadership Competency Framework. The aim was to provide the NHS with a consistent national approach to developing the skills and expertise needed to deliver healthcare in an equitable way.

Challenges

Our research and analysis produced a consensus about the competencies needed to:

Build the organisational capacity necessary to respond to diverse community needs

Influence and lead change to improve equality outcomes

Cultivate leadership and management skills.

Our leadership framework was integrated into the original Equality Delivery System (EDS).

Its use is mandatory, and it helps organisations to make sure they are encouraging inclusive forms of leadership at all levels.

Following on from this project, we were then asked to design and deliver a bespoke training programme that took the changing NHS landscape into account.

The resulting course – Managing Equality and Diversity in an Organisation – is accredited by the Institute of Leadership and Management.

The course was immediately well-received across three pilot Strategic Health Authorities. Ultimately, it will help the NHS to be more consistent and to develop and promote successful, flexible managers who understand organisational development and cross-cultural intelligence.